Soul Survivor
by dare-to-dream-xx
Summary: She was the one person Red hoped would never end up in Litchfield. The one person who she knew, for a fact, wouldn't be able to survive here. Her granddaughter. [Orange is the New Black AU.] OC/Poussay - Chapman/Vause - Nicholls/Morello.


**Okay, everyone. I'm putting my Pretty Little Liars story on hiatus for the time being, simply because I really don't know how to end it. I have this one all planned out in my head, and I'm actually really, really excited about it! It's set in season two, right before [spoiler alert] Vee attacks Red with the lock. I don't own OITNB, the only character that's mine is Elina. **

**Prologue:**  
**Red's POV:**

Galina Reznikov had a good life, considering the circumstances. She woke up at 5 A.M. every morning, take a shower, apply her eyeliner and red lipstick (which technically wasn't allowed, but none of the CO's had the balls to tell her anything about it), style her hair in her usual spiked up way, and get dressed. If it had been a few months earlier, she would have put on her chef's jacket and made her way to the kitchen, _her _kitchen, and so far one of her biggest accomplishments since arriving at Litchfield. But, unfortunately, that wasn't the case. After her kitchen was taken from her and given to Gloria, she went through a deep depression. But eventually she found other ways to fill her day, and other ways to sneak in her red lipsticks and other things that were needed for herself and the women of Litchfield. She considered most of these women like family to her, apart from one in particular.

The very sight of Vee sent a whirlwind of Rage through Red's body. Red didn't consider herself a very spiteful person; only when it came to certain situations. But what Vee did to her was completely unforgiveable. And she _hated _ her.

It was very cool that morning. Red took her shower and got dressed, and decided to go out to her greenhouse. Not to have anything brought in, but also being around the plants was very peaceful, and it kept her hands moving. If Red knew one thing about herself, she liked to stay busy. Whether it was gardening or reading a book, she liked to always be doing something. She put her jacket on and went to the cafeteria to grab something small for breakfast, then made her way outside. She looked to her right, and through the fence, she saw the van pull up. Through the front window she could see one of the CO's, whose name Red never bothered to learn, and Morello chatting away happily. She saw three people in the back of the van, but she couldn't quite tell what the newest additions looked like. It wasn't until the door opened that Red felt a flurry of fear and shock. The petite red head in the orange prison uniform that climbed out of the van was all to familiar. She slowly started to make her way toward the fence, her hands beginning to shake slightly. "Elina!" She called. The small redhead turned her head, her eyes widening. The CO grabbed her gently by the arm and led her to the door. She was the one person Red hoped would never end up in Litchfield. The one person who she knew, for a fact, wouldn't be able to survive here. Her granddaughter.

**Chapter One:**  
**Elina's POV:**

Elina had always considered herself to be a good girl. She'd go to school, go home, do her homework, shower, go to bed, and repeat it the next day. Until graduation. She had gotten a scholarship to NYU, and she knew she had a very bright future ahead of her. She didn't ever think her life would turn to shit as fast as it had. College was much harder than she'd been expecting - definitely nothing like high school. She flunked out within her first semester, and to avoid the shame she'd bring her family, she started dealing marijuana in order to pay the rent for her small, cold apartment. She knew how disappointed her grandmother would be, and her grandmother's opinion meant a lot to her. She didn't get to see much of her, considering she'd been in prison since Elina was six years old. But before Red had left, Elina considered her her best friend. Her mother was hardly ever around, and her father, Yuri, was always working. So she'd looked at Red as a mother figure. She was always at her house or at the restaurant. That was, until Red got caught up with the Russian mafia and was sent away to Litchfield. Elina cried every night for almost a year, and knew she'd have to learn how to grow up and take care of herself. So she did.

Elina had been dealing for almost six months, and she had a pretty good business going. That was until one of her best customers ratted her out. So here she was, sitting in a van on her way to Litchfield. She only got two years, but she was terrified. Not only of being in prison, but of what Red was going to say. Her father was dissappointed, of course, but he couldn't exactly fault her for it. He was, for that matter, sneaking contraband into a prison for his mother. Elina sat in the vain, clutching the bag with her blanket and pillow to her chest. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and her hands were shaking violently. Her bright red hair hung down to her stomach - she was a natural blonde, but she dyed it red. She missed her grandmother, so the red hair reminded her of Red and all the great times they'd had. Even her visits to the prison were always interesting. The brunette, Morello, was chatting away in the drivers seat about how her and her fiancee, Christopher, were having a hard time at that moment and how they were postponing the wedding. Elina had a feeling there was more to the story than what she was leading on.

The van pulled up to the prison, which she recognized from all her previous visits with Red, hoping she could avoid the woman - at least for the first few days. But, unfortunately, she was wrong.

The CO opened the door and she stepped out into the cool air. She clutched the bag to her chest, looking at her new home. The fear that was overtaking her body was almost too much for her to handle. "Elina!" The thick russian accent rang in her ears. She turned her head and saw Red walking toward the fence. The CO grabbed her arm gently and started walking toward the door. The tears started falling again as she walked through the doors. After her strip search, which was extremely awkward, she was led to a room with three sets of bunkbeds. There was a woman with no hair laying in her bed, and another older woman with an oxygen mask sitting on her bottom bunk.

"Alright," Morello said. "Elina, this is where you'll stay until you're assigned to your bunk." She pulled something out of her pocket. "Here's a toothbrush. They don't give them to you and you'll need it until your commissary comes in. I also got you some maxipads, toothpaste, and my extra pair of shower shoes. It's funny, when Chapman first got here, she made shoes out of maxipads. You'll need them, there's fungus in the showers. There's tissues in the cabinet next to your bunk. First nights hard; you'll need them." Elina had a feeling this girl liked to talk. Morello put her hand on Elina's shoulder and turned on her heal and walked out to lead the other girls to their temporary bunks.

One of the older women pulled off her gas mask. "Hey, honey, it'll be okay." She said, as Elina wiped the tears from her eyes. She walked over to Elina, taking her bag. "I'm Anita, and that's Rosa. All the other inmates go by last names here. I'll make your bed for you every day until you're assigned, just to make sure you pass inspection." Elina stood back, letting the older italian woman make her bed for her. Back home, Elina made her bed every single day. The thought made tears well up in her eyes again. This hard bunk was nothing like the queen sized bed she had back home. "So what's your name, babydoll?"

"Uh, Elina. Elina Reznikov." She said quietly, and at that moment, she realized just how pathetic her voice sounded.

"Reznikov?" Anita repeated, looking from Elina to Rosa, who was struggling to sit up. "You aren't related to Red, are you?" Anita's voice sounded a mixture of worried and amused.

"Uh, yeah, she's my grandmother." Elina stated quietly. Anita's eyes widened, as did Rosa's, and Anita pulled her into a hug. It was pretty obvious that Anita knew what Elina did from the second she'd gotten arrested - she was completely fucked.

"It'll be alright. I'm sure Red will understand, doll. She seems to be a very forgiving person."

-

Morello was right. The first night was terrible. Between Rosa snoring and the loud roar of the machina, she was sure no one could hear her sobbing. She hadn't seen Red aside from the breif encounter that morning, but she knew she couldn't avoid her. They'd be in the same cafeteria for breakfast, after all. She managed to fall asleep for a few hours, but got up at 5 to take a shower. She felt absolutely disgusting. Anita had loaned her a bottle of shampoo and conditioner, so she made her way to the bathroom. She didn't think a shower could feel that good. She washed her body and her hair, brushed her teeth, and made her way back to her room where Anita was getting up to go to breakfast.

"Morning." Anita said. Rosa simply groaned. A CO brought Rosa her tray of food, and Anita led Elina to the cafeteria. Right when she walked in, she spotted Red sitting at a table. The two of them locked eyes, only for a moment, and Elina saw the worried expression painted on bher grandmother's face. She looked away, feeling ashamed and upset. She knew what was coming her way. She stood in line as she waited for her tray of food. She felt like everyone was staring at her. She knew Red had probably told some of her friends in the prison that she was here. She grabbed her tray, looking for an open table as far away from Red as she could possibly get. She saw a twenty-something looking blonde sitting with another short girl with frizzy hair. Elina approached the table.

"Can I sit here?" She asked quietly. The two girls nodded, and she sat across from them. "Thanks." She started picking at her food with her plastic fork. She knew she had no appetite, but breakfast was mandatory.

Elina felt the other two women staring at her intently, studying her face. "Well, we knew you'd be here, but I didn't realize how much you'd look like her." The one with the frizzy hair broke the silence. Elina stayed silent. If there was one thing she knew about prison, it was that she couldn't make friends. "You know, Red talks about you all the time. About how good of a kid you are. How the hell did you end up here?"

"Nicky, don't push her." The other blonde stated. "It's only her second day here." She averted her gaze over to Elina, who started crying, yet again. "You don't have to tell anyone. You don't have to talk to anyone if you don't want to. But know, if there's anything you need until your money comes in, don't hesitate to ask one of us, or even Red. She always talked very highly of you. I'm Piper Chapman."

"I can't," Elina finally said after a couple seconds of silence. "I can't ask her for anything. I can't talk to her. After she finds out... she'll hate me."

"Don't think that," Nicholls said, looking at the girl with a sympathetic gaze. "She's like a mom to me. And I did something really fucked up to her. But she still loves me. And you're blood, babe. Just talk to her."

Almost as if she'd heard the entire conversation, Red approached the table. "Elina-" She started. Elina got up from the table, dumped her tray, and walked out of the cafeteria, Red following closley behind her. "You can't avoid me, Elina." She walked into the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror, taking in her appearance. Her face was ghostly white, her blue eyes bloodshot from crying. She looked away from the mirror, staring down at the sink and letting the sobs escape. Red wrapped her arms around Elina's shoulders and she turned around, embrasing her grandmother tightly. Her sobs came out broken and uneven, and she heard Red sniffling. "It'll be okay, Elina. It'll be okay. Let's go sit somewhere and talk."

Red led Elina to the common room, where they sat next to each other at a round table. There were only two other people in there, sitting across the room from them, far out of earshot. Elina was the first to break the silence. "I'm so sorry, _babushka_. I didn't mean to." She cried, and Red took her hand, squeezing it.

"Elina, whatever it is you did, you know I'll never stop loving you. You're more than just my grandaughter. You're like my own. And if my idiot son and SparkleTits had ever paid any attention to you, they'd know how much of a remarkable person you are. Now just tell me. Why are you here?" Red asked, her voice full of concern and sympathy.

Elina sighed, knowing she'd have to tell her the truth. Red had an extreme talent for knowing when Elina was lying to her. "I flunked out of NYU." Red's eyes widened. "I couldn't go back home. So..." She paused. "I... started dealing to pay my rent. I know it was stupid, but the job I had wasn't paying me enough. It's completely unlike me. I know this. But I didn't know what else to do. And then one of my customers told me he was in love with me, and when I rejected him, he turned me in. They picked me up that same night and kept me in a holding cell until they brought me here." Red's face went from sympathetic to a mixture of outrage and dissappointment.

"Elina! You know why I'm here. And you choose to do something so _stupid _and irresponsible! You're such a good girl, why would you even do that?!" Red asked. Elina had been expecting this, but it still hit her like a ton of bricks. Her stomach tightened, and her throat felt dry. "I'm sorry," Red said, after taking a few breaths to calm herself down. "I didn't mean to yell. I just don't understand. You've never done a bad thing in your entire life. Why start now?"

"I don't know," Elina admitted. "I just didn't know what else to do. I couldn't ask _otets_ or _ded_ for money," She said, and Red nodded understandingly.

"I'm not happy about it, but I'll stand by you. Always." Her thick Russian accent sounded loving and maternal, and Elina, for the first time since arriving at Litchfield, felt like she was safe. "But, there are things about this place you need to know. Shit is hitting the fan, _malyshka_. Drugs, smuggling, fighting, death. You've got to understand, this place is not safe for you. You need to stay with me as much as you possibly can. I can protect you. And so can my girls. Nicky, Gina, Lorna, Norma, hell, even Chapman. Try to be with one of us at all times." Elina nodded, agreeing to her grandmother's terms. "Because when it gets worse, which it will, you'll be the first one she comes for, just to hurt me. I'm sure she's heard by now you're mine. So watch your back, _malyshka_."

"Wait, who are you talking about? Who's going to come for me?" The fear Elina felt multipled by a thousand. Her hands started to shake. It was her second day in prison and she already had an enemy?

"Vee. Yvonne Parker. Stay as far from that _suka _as you can. Or it'll be bad. Very bad." Red's intensity grew in her eyes, and Elina knew she was serious. If Red was coming for her, there was something she had to do to get ready for it. She wasn't going to let her grandmother get hurt, and she didn't want herself to get hurt, so she knew she'd have to toughen up if she was going to survive.


End file.
